London, 29 March 2011

The UK’s civil nuclear trade association has welcomed a new report by Professor Sir David King which underlines nuclear’s importance to the UK – and offers valuable insight into policy and the future shape of the nuclear sector.

Keith Parker, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association said the report, A Low Carbon Nuclear Future, published today (29 March) by the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment at Oxford University, offered insight, and talking points.

“We welcome this report which as we expected offers some very interesting insights into the UK nuclear industry. It is a valuable contribution to the discussion and we will be considering its findings in detail,” he said.

The report calls for a re-alignment in the nuclear sector and says there is an opportunity to develop a holistic approach encompassing decommissioning through to new nuclear build. Professor King calls for the UK to “seize the opportunity” by maximising the value of the nuclear sector for the UK, increasing energy security and using nuclear to create a low-carbon future.

Keith Parker added: “In the wake of the nuclear incident at Fukushima the UK nuclear industry is taking time to assess the causes and learning points. But we are clear that nuclear power should play a major role in our future energy mix. Professor King underlines the important security of supply and low-carbon attributes of nuclear which make it such an important part of our energy future.”

Ends --

www.niauk.org